Those Who Do Not Succumb To Fame
by Nayunari 'Ayu' Tsuki
Summary: Lelouch has never seen what the masses have in famous people. It's all a superficial matter to him. However, when a little 'blast from the past' that happens to be famous and good-looking shows up, he may regretfully reconsider his mantra. LuluXSuzy.
1. A New Day An Old Memory

**Hey, Nayunari 'Ayu' Tsuki here! I have a new CG fic now, as you are well aware. It's another one of those fics I got the idea for in a dream, and I couldn't let this escape me! It has another long title, just like HGITWINQ. So I'll just abbreviate to TWDNSTF. I hope you like! I have no time to say more, but I will say that I, Nayunari 'Ayu' Tsuki or whatever name I have or will assume, own nothing but the plot of this story.**

**Bye bye! Have a good read!**

**~Start chapter~**

"No...No...No...Hello, sexy!"

Her coworker sighed. "I already said hi to you, Milly."

Milly waved him off. "Shut up, Lulu, I don't mean you! I have a dreamboat alert!"

He sighed again. "Shouldn't you be working instead of watching TV?"

Milly whined. "Lelouch, there is a 42 inch TV there and I'm soaking in the sexiness on that screen!"

Lelouch rested his chin in his palm and paid attention to the television interview on the television.

"_I'm here with up-and-coming movie actor of Japanese descent, Suzaku Kururugi. Tell us, Mr. Kururugi, how does it feel to be famous at such a young age?" The reporter asked eagerly._

"_It's just so overwhelming!" Suzaku said in reply, laughing nervously. "It's definitely hard to go out in public without getting attacked by fans."_

"_On that subject, do you mind if I ask a personal question?" The reporter asked innocently._

"_Ask away!"_

"_What's your orientation?" She asked seriously, though she smiled happily._

"_Oh, that. You don't know how many times I get asked that! But I don't mind answering. To be honest, I'm-"_

"Click."

Milly shrieked. "Lulu! I want to know! You turned it off!" She quickly switched it back on.

"–_resting! I never would've guessed! And I hear you're single! Is it true, and if so, do you have anyone in mind?"_

"_It's true, and I actually do have someone in mind. I haven't seen them in about 10 years though, so I doubt they'll recognize me!" He said playfully._

"_And you're sure they're right for you?" The reporter asked curiously._

"_As sure as I can be. I've never felt as strongly for anyone but them!"_

"_Well, there you have it, folks!" The reporter said happily, beaming. "A genuinely nice actor that's dead set on that special someone! Betcha wish it were you!~ This is Rakshata, signing out! Bye!"_

Milly clicked off the TV. "Ooh, if he doesn't find who he's looking for, I want to be in the running for next best thing! I wonder if it's a boy or girl he's looking for!"

Lelouch sighed for the umpteenth time and laid his head on the counter. "You'll never know. It's not like he's gonna walk through the door."

"I would know, but SOMEONE turned off the TV at a crucial moment," Milly scolded. She sighed and started to count the money in the register.

Business was slow today in the 'Shinjuku Epic Coffee Shop', a title Milly herself came up with. It was her shop that she started the day she graduated high school. They were located not too far from the college she and her coworkers Lelouch and Shirley went to, so the job didn't inconvenience them in the least.

"You never know what happens here, though, Lulu," Milly said distantly.

Her ears perked when she heard the door's bell jingle. She looked over expectantly to the possible clientele. "Hello, may I-"

A yakuza-looking person had walked in, sporting shades, a somewhat tattered gray longcoat, a souvenir hat, and other things to make them appear suspicious. He looked around swiftly, seemingly checking for other people besides the cashiers. After seeing no one, he sighed in relief.

"Looking for someone?" Milly asked cheerily, not wary of the man at all. He smiled warmly in response. "Yes and no. I heard that he stayed in Shinjuku, but I guess he's not here. But that's ok. May I have a latte, easy on the foam?"

"Sure thing! Our other workers will gladly assist you," Milly said eagerly, smacking Lelouch on the head swiftly. He rubbed his head and stayed on the counter. "Well, if they wake up. Shirley!"

A redheaded girl slid from the back room to next to Milly. "You called?"

"Make our new friend here a latte, light foam, if you please?" She asked sweetly, directing her attention back to the visitor. "Now may I inquire your name?"

"Can you keep a secret?" he asked seriously, most likely sending a stern look Milly's way. "Only if you're not a criminal in hiding," she threw back, unfazed and still smiling.

He sighed with relief. "Good." The man took off his hat and shades, revealing emerald eyes and chocolate brown hair. He offered his hand. "Suzaku Kururugi. It's great to meet you. Your name?"

Milly's eyes sparkled. It looked as though any minute she would explode from happiness. "You! Y-You're...You're the good-looking guy I just saw on the interview! I don't care that your hair is supposed to be black and your eyes are supposed to be brown~ Oh, I'm so sorry, I'm Milly Ashford, the owner of this store you're gracing with your presence!" She barely managed to extend her hand to shake.

"It's good to meet a new fan! And if you don't mind my saying, you're very pretty. It's almost unnatural," he said smoothly. Milly resisted turning into a puddle from his gaze.

"Oh my gosh! Suzaku, I love you in 'The 10 Britannian Knights'!" Shirley said eagerly, her hands trembling slightly as she handed Suzaku the latte.

Milly released a barrage of smacks to Lelouch's head as she kept her dreamy eyes focused on Suzaku. "Lulu! Lulu, Lulu, Lulu, Lulu! We have a dreamboat in our presence! Be nice and introduce yourself!"

Lelouch groaned and put his face in his hands when he rose. "Milly, I'm not in the mood. Just because he's famous doesn't mean I should care."

Milly stood him up straight while Shirley moved his hands from his face. It still didn't prevent his head from tilting back and hiding his face from view. Milly smacked his forehead, bringing him up straight. "Be polite! What if he were opportunity knocking?"

"I wouldn't answer the door," he stated simply, closing his eyes halfway. Milly pouted angrily, while Shirley stepped to the counter. "Suzaku, are you...all right?"

The reason she asked was because the minute he had seen Lelouch's face, his face went red and his whole body started shaking.

Milly giggled. "You've got an admirer, Lulu! I told you that you weren't just a chick magnet!" Lelouch groaned. He pointed accusingly to Suzaku. "Listen buddy, I will give you 3 seconds to-"

He stopped short when Suzaku grabbed his hand with both of his. "L-Lelouch?" The three blinked blankly at the star. "What? How the hell do you know my name?" he said rudely.

His emerald eyes sparkled in unbridled joy and watered as Suzaku tightened his grip. "Lelouch, it is you! I haven't seen you in 10 years, but thankfully you haven't changed a bit! You don't know how much I've missed you!"

"Ok...Exactly HOW do we know each other? I don't remember you, if what you claim is true," he said suspiciously, trying to slide his hand from the other's grip.

"You could quiz me if you like to! I know a lot about your childhood, at least before I left. I wouldn't have left if I had known you'd forget me, but it was beyond my control..."

Milly and Shirley were still in awe from the fact that the two were childhood friends, but Lelouch still wouldn't buy it. "All right then. Where is my scar?"

Suzaku chuckled, a confident smile on his face. "Too easy. When you were younger, you were in a car accident that killed your mother, Marianne, crippled your younger sister, Nunally, and gave you, Lelouch Lamperouge, also known as Lelouch vi Britannia, a glaring scar on your right arm that extended from your shoulder to your wrist."

Milly, out of her initial daze, traced Lelouch's scar. "He's right. That's exactly what you told us, but you never said you had someone else you told."

Lelouch was spooked. Not only had Suzaku answered his question, he gave its cause in accurate detail. 'How is this possible?'

Milly went back to her squealing. "Ooh, Suzaku, can you sign this magazine I have with you on the cover so I can forever remember this day? I would appreciate it very much!"

Suzaku let go of Lelouch's hand and shook his head. "No. But I can give you a hug if you come-"

Before Suzaku could finish his sentence, Milly raced over. "Done deal!" He laughed heartily. "Sometimes I think I should just give handshakes," he opened his arms wide and Milly eagerly jumped into them. She sighed dreamily and slid out of his arms...to the floor.

"I do that a lot. Sorry, Milly." Suzaku turned to Shirley. "You too?" Shirley blushed. "Ah, no...A handshake will do. Milly seems to be occupying the floor nicely, I wouldn't want to join her."

Suzaku nodded in understanding and shook Shirley's hand, finding amusement in her growing blush. He directed his gaze to the annoyed raven. "You want a-"

"Not unless you want to get hurt," he growled out, glaring. Suzaku sighed disdainfully. "You refuse to even try and remember me. To think, you cried when I moved away."

"Why would I cry for anyone moving away if I could visit? Unless they moved to somewhere like Hokkaido, it's not a big enough worry," Lelouch said in disbelief.

"I did move to Hokkaido. But I moved back here to Tokyo a year ago. When I got discovered, I was required to come here. Does it ring a bell now?"

"How many times will you ask me before you give up? You'd have to do something you would always do when we were children for me to mildly remember," he replied, in even more doubt.

"You're behind the counter! I couldn't do anything while you're there!" Suzaku said cheerfully, beckoning the other his way.

Just as asked, Lelouch opened the door between the cashier's counter and the lobby and stepped through. He had no idea why he was indulging the young star, or how he could've known in such detail of his car accident if he didn't remember relaying it to him. Still, if he could get a memory sparked about what was supposedly one of his dearest friends (had to be one if he cried for him), perhaps it did hold some benefits. He leaned against the wall and stared to the brunette.

Suzaku fidgeted slightly and tapped his fingertips against each other. "I feel kind of nervous now that there's nothing separating us..."

"You sound so sappy," the raven said, popping a stick of gum into his mouth. "You could do anything while I'm over here, couldn't you? Even so, I suppose I could trust you. Possibly."

"You know, you're right," Suzaku said nervously. "I could do anything, but I have only one thing in mind. I had wanted to do so when I left, but I was too scared of what you'd do. I think I'm...ready for the consequences."

"I'm attempting to give a damn and it's not going well. Stop beating around the bush before I kick you out," Lelouch said impatiently, tapping his foot on the wall. Surprisingly, Lelouch's impatience only made the actor blush. He took in a deep breath and steeled his nerves.

"Fine." He plopped his hands on Lelouch's shoulders and pulled the raven to him, startling both on the inside, though only Lelouch's expression changed to that of surprise. "What the h-"

Suzaku wasted no more time and kissed the raven in a manner befitting of a long-awaited reunion. Lelouch had been so scared that had accidentally swallowed his gum, but at present he was too stunned to yell at the star for it. All he was concentrating on was controlling the increasingly big blush on his face. He wanted to push Suzaku away, but his limbs refused to work.

The actor loosened his grip on his friend's shoulder and took a step back, trying to steel his nerves once more. He could not deny his inner joy, however. Although he was happy, his friend seemed to be shaking in his shoes. "Y-You..."

The star licked his lips suggestively, looking to Lelouch in amusement. "So you do rem-"

"You stole my first kiss, you bastard! Not only do I have but a vague conception of who you are, you steal something I was reserving for my love, which couldn't be you!" Lelouch yelled, seething with fury.

Suzaku looked down discontentedly. "But we were so close as children. I would always kiss your nose or your cheek just to get you, and you'd always turn red and say-"

"Stop it! You're not a girl!" Lelouch yelled, putting his fingers to his lips and blushing as he redirected his attention. "Anyway, I doubt you could previously call that love. We were kids, and that's the thing! Kids! No kind of old flame that far back could ever resurface," he stated, growing more silent and redder as the sentence went on.

Suzaku laughed happily, his smile warm. "That's exactly what you would say. And I would always say that we don't have to be girls to kiss our friends. Also, regarding the whole 'old flame' business," he said, repeating his prior actions of grabbing the other's hand, "I'd like to rekindle the flame and take you out tomorrow. If not to help you remember me, then just to show you a good time."

Lelouch reddened at the amount of meanings contained in that sentence.

"I can come by tomorrow, if it's fine. Are you scheduled tomorrow?" Suzaku asked curiously. Milly appeared at this key moment and clung to Lelouch almost possessively. "He isn't, but his classes finish at 2 and his club meeting ends at 3, so any time after 3:30 is perfect!" Lelouch turned to Milly alarmingly.

"That's awesome! So I'll see you tomorrow, alright Lelouch?" Suzaku asked sweetly, a smile and a tinge of pink on his cheeks. Lelouch growled. "I protest! I never agreed to this! I wouldn't go on a date with you if you were my-" He dared not finish his sentence.

Even if he'd wanted to, Suzaku's blush-worthy actions cut him short. He had kissed each individual finger and looked up to smile, highly amused by Lelouch's blushing. The annoyed twitch also made it funnier.

"Until then! Bye, Lelouch! Bye, Milly!" Suzaku threw on his cap and put back on his shades, bowing and walking out as if on fire.

Milly squealed. "EEE! Lulu's going on a date, a date with Suzaku, a deciding date, and they'll be boyfriends!" she sang.

"It's not a DATE!"

**~End~**

**New fic is new. I can't really say anything now since I have to go to school, so just ask in a review if you have any questions!**

**Nayunari 'Ayu' Tsuki, out!**


	2. A First Date A Second Impression

**Hello, hello! Are you all good? I am. I've been out for a few days now, so I've acquired a spot of time. I have many things to work on, but writing helps me unwind. Between being an artist and a high school student, it seems like my writing gets little time in the spotlight that is my crowded life. However, if I'm going to mae anything of myself in the future, it's all neccessary.**

**Formalities done!**

**This is a relatively long chapter, for now. I usually don't write a chapter over 8 pages unless I get into it. But this is effectively 11 pages. I hope you like this as much as I do.**

**You better, I'm in a slight case of insomnia at present, and it's almost 5 in the morning. I'm not sleepy, but I better go soon.**

**~BREAK~**

"_Are you sure? I don't think that's safe," Lelouch, eight years old, said to his adventurous friend._

"_It may not be safe, but it's full of fun!" Suzaku, nearing his eighth birthday, said playfully, dangling haphazardly from the tree he had scaled. All while being upside down._

"_You're full of crap, but that's never deterred you before," he stated bluntly._

_Suzaku flipped onto the branch and jumped off, landing about 5 feet in front of the raven. "You know what I do when you get mean!"_

_The young raven turned white and jumped back. "I'll be nice, I promise! Like super sugary nice!"_

_An evil glint appeared in the other's eye. "It's not gonna help...Now take your kiss like a man!"_

"_I'm SORRY!"_

**~BREAK~**

Sighing nostalgically, Suzaku stared at his hand, remembering those simpler times.

"Is that what you plan you'll get along with? Your Knight of 7 costume?" A mysteriously stoic lime-haired woman asked. Suzaku nodded.

"There's a major con going on in the city and since I have my natural features of brown hair and green eyes, I'll just be seen as an extraordinary player. I think it's ingenious," he finished confidently. "Besides, C.C., what are you worried about?"

"I was going to accompany my newest hit star on his little escapade into the unknown. I have not one worry," she replied steadily.

C.C., better known by her alias Crystacia Connery, was the head director of Geass Productions, not to mention leading role in one of the few shows she _doesn't_ direct of a Queen Victoria-esque alter ego in present day England. She would take any opportunity to leave the studio if she's not busied by work, and had an inhuman love for pizza.

Suzaku rocked on the heels of his boots. "C.C., is that why you wore your special 'Let's meet my next date' dress?" C.C. walked forward without speaking, fixing up her bright green hair to a sloppy bun shape.

**~BREAK~**

"It's hard to restrain the urge to yell you deaf, Milly," Lelouch said, a blush very visible.

Shirley chirped. "But Lulu, you are so very pretty! You look exactly like Kaneko! The lavender ribbons suit your extended hair so well!"

Milly had come up with the idea that since there was a con going on, Lelouch should costume play, or cosplay for short. There was no better alternative to his date-wear than the show his date plays a very important role in. At least to Milly.

"She _conveniently_ looks like you by a lot, Lulu," Milly said suggestively.

"I don't think Suzaku had any say in the character designs. Maybe Ms. Crystacia is responsible for the likeness? Suzaku could've had a photo," Shirley reasoned, shooting down Milly's hopes as she sagged to the floor.

Lelouch looked out the door to see his 'friend' staring at the sign with a green-haired woman, the latter having a knowing smirk while Suzaku was blushing and saying something he couldn't hear.

Despite the demeaning state he was in, he walked out the door while the redhead tried to pry her sulking boss from the floor. He tried to imitate the actress as best he could. "Crystacia, Kururugi, why are you two here so publicly?"

C.C. stared at Lelouch and received an equally stoic stare back. "Who do you think you're fooling? You're not Stadtfeld."

...Stadtfeld? "Even if that were true, I would still like to ask why you are here. At least you, Crystacia."

"My name is C.C."

"...Ok then...C.C., I understand him being here, but...?" Lelouch inquired.

"I gotta say, you do look like Kaneko!" Suzaku pointed out abruptly. Lelouch glared. C.C. cleared her throat. "I refuse to let Suzaku go without me anywhere not pertaining to business. Yesterday was a minor miscalculation."

"I thank you for your miscalculation, C.C.," Suzaku said, smiling to the two genuinely. "Without your blunder, I would've never been reunited with the person I-"

Lelouch threw his fist on top of Suzaku's head, making him bite his tongue and become unable to speak coherently. C.C. smirked. "That's going to make for bad kissing later on."

Suzaku had tried to say 'C.C.' but instead it came out like "Shi-Tzu!" or something of the like. No one could tell.

Suzaku swallowed and talked as clearly as he could. "Well, is good that you thanged your-"

"What my cohort is trying to say is that it's fortunate you changed your opinion on the matter, and he had also thought that cosplay was a good idea. That way, he could admire you more openly," C.C. clarified.

"Well, you need someone to take along. Otherwise, you'll be pretty lonely," Lelouch offered bluntly.

"But I wanna sphend time whiff you by my shelf!"

Lelouch glared. "Now you're just faking it. Speak clearly man! And no, we will not be alone together. Just go sit over there while you heal and we solve the problem."

With that, Suzaku trudged away disdainfully and began to reminiscence once more.

**~Flashback~**

"_I hate this mess! It's sticky and hard to get off. I think it may have a smell..."_

"_Can't you enjoy ice cream?" Suzaku asked worriedly._

"_How do you people enjoy this wretched stuff? It gets all over your face, and all over you if given an opportunity," Lelouch said angrily._

_The brunette couldn't help but chuckle at his friend's predicament. "You know, there's an expression for ice cream. And I want to try something. Stand still."_

_Lelouch pouted. "You didn't-"_

_He blushed, shuddered, and squirmed all at the same time when the brunette licked the offending substance from the side of his mouth._

_Suzaku giggled innocently. "The look on your face is hysterical! And my experiment is beneficial, or however you say it... Say, Lulu, where'd you learn all those giant words?"_

_He giggled again when he saw the raven wiping furiously at his mouth, turning it red to match the color of the rest of his face. "Don't ask me questions! I'm this close to kicking you in the stomach!"_

"_Aww, Lulu, you really love me!"_

"_Don't be absurd," the raven yelled, his mouth-wiping finished. Suzaku grinned and tapped the other's nose. "Well, I love you too, and always will."_

"_I said don't be absurd! I'll kill you while I'm still young enough to get away with it!"_

**~End Flashback~**

"Are you crazy? That has no relevance whatsoever to the conversation at hand! Plus that's just perverted!"

Suzaku snapped out of his reminiscence and looked over to his smirking manager and his distraught date. He knew for a fact that C.C. was a pervert, and a shameless one at that. But what could they have gathered over there that could cause perversion. "What's wrong, Lelouch?"

"I'll tell you what!" he yelled unhappily, "this woman is a pervert. She said that abbreviated that our shop name sounds like sex. _Then_ she started talking about how ice cream and coffee can lead to that, things I neither care about nor want to know."

"But you hate ice cream," Suzaku pointed out nonchalantly.

"True, I think it's a sticky mess. But that's not the point!" Lelouch said pointedly, frowning immaturely enough to call it pouting.

"Anyway, shall we go?" Suzaku asked, rocking on his heels impulsively. C.C. nodded and snatched Lelouch's wrist. "Yes, Suzaku, Lelouch, let's."

"You two are going to be seen," Lelouch said pessimistically. They walked on, not caring about what the raven had said.

**~BREAK~**

"Thank you very much! I've been told I'm very good at what I do," Suzaku responded cheerfully.

Lelouch facepalmed. This was the 5th time someone had told he was exceptional at his cosplay by another participant. The first time he was astounded, but now it's just stupid.

"Yes, my girlfriend is also a very good player. She spent almost a day getting prepared for it. Isn't that right, Luluko?" Suzaku responded again, directing the last part at Lelouch. He blinked. What did Suzaku just name him?

"Girl-" he caught himself and switched to his feminine voice, "Girlfriend? Wh-"

"Don't mind her," C.C. advised, covering Lelouch's mouth, "She's just kind of not used to being with him since they just hooked up yesterday. She was so used to rejecting him that she forgot they were together. Again."

"You make a good Crystacia as well!" the player remarked.

"It's very hard to find this shade of dye, but I managed. Thank you," C.C. said, bowing. "Now, Kaneko, Suzaku, let's go. It was nice running into you."

The three walked toward the restaurant, C.C. still holding her hostage's mouth. He seemed very agitated for a reason or another.

"C.C. I think it's ok to let him go..." Suzaku said worriedly. C.C. smirked confidently, obviously not about to comply. Lelouch felt tempted to bite her hand, and would have if he thought it would do something.

When they got to the café, Lelouch forced himself from C.C.'s restricting grip and ran to a table. Suzaku chuckled and asked the waiter for three menus.

"I see so far you're having fun, are-" "You! I am not your girlfriend, for pretend or ever, even though it's biologically impossible. I am no lover of yours, and I never will be!"

Suzaku drooped his head. "You liked me a lot too when we were younger. You only say that because you can't remember me. I can't think of a trigger. Tell me, how do you usually remember a friend?"

C.C. smirked, propping her head up in her palm. "Trouble in paradise? This IS who you had labeled 'that special someone' in your interview, was it not?"

Lelouch jumped and Suzaku nodded. "Yeah, but it doesn't help if it doesn't mean anything to him. Unless he never saw my interview. What do you say, Lulu?"

"You meant me? But you couldn't have! How do you know if you love someone you hadn't seen in a decade?" he asked in surprise.

The director rolled her amber eyes in disbelief. "Looks like your boyfriend has nothing going on upstairs. Suzaku said that any other person he had gotten with hadn't really gotten his heart. It was never really in love with anyone. So he had to have already loved someone. That's you, pretty boy."

Suzaku sighed. "I didn't say it like _that_...You exaggerate too much."

Meanwhile, said special someone was burying his reddening face in his gloved hands. He refused to sit still, so he laid his head on the back of the bench and took off his hands. C.C. almost laughed. "It seems to have him steaming. Looks like the hopeless romantic type is his cup of tea."

"I am not a hopeless roman-" "Say cheese, Stadtfeld!~"

Before anyone could catch the culprit, it had already happened. A bucket of something was poured out onto the raven, and he shrieked at a more feminine pitch than even C.C. thought she could reach.

The blonde culprit chuckled. "That's cheese, if you didn't catch that joke. You should really get better at your reaction time, Stadtfeld!"

Beside him, a short, pink-haired girl was texting into what looked like a virtual diary. "Entry updated."

Once they realized the situation, Suzaku immediately grabbed the man's collar. "What is wrong with you?"

The blonde laughed nervously. "You know that's what I do when I see Stadtfeld! Remember? Last time it was-"

"That's not what I mean!" he barked. "That's not even Kallen! You know that if you could find me!"

The blonde waved his hands frantically, becoming more nervous as the fire in the brunette's eyes grew darker. "H-Hey, but wait! You said that you're going with Kaneko, who is Stadtfeld! I assumed that you two were going on a play-date!"

Suzaku let go and pinched the bridge of his nose, his eye twitching with annoyance. "THAT is not Kallen, but that IS my date."

"So where's Stadtfeld?" The blonde asked innocently.

"NOT HERE! Damn it, Gino, you can't do ANYTHING right most of the time," he said in exasperation to the male. Promptly Lelouch stood and stormed out.

The pink-haired girl typed into her virtual diary and pressed an enter key. "Suzaku, was your date the basis of Kaneko?"

C.C. nodded and watched her star try to kill his coworker. "Yes, that was. Why, do you know him?"

"They look like Mother...I must search them," the girl said quietly, searching on her pad.

Gino looked to his companion. "Hey, Anya, what're you doing?" Suzaku was still glaring holes through him, but he tried not to pay attention.

Anya hit an enter key once more. "Found. Lelouch Lamperouge, correct? He resembles Mother greatly. Gino, this is who you attacked."

The blonde glanced over. "Oh wow. Hey, C.C., how'd you get a female version of this guy so dead on?...That is a he, right?"

C.C. nodded and smirked, resting her chin in her palm. "It's a he. Also, you should never ask of my methods. You'll not like the answer."

Gino sighed. "Just checking, because last time asked Suzy what he was, he said he's probably bi. I don't know if he doesn't tell me."

"Suzaku," Anya started, "If you are to catch him, you may want to go to his workplace. He'll probably arrive there shortly."

Suzaku nodded and ran out the door. "C.C., take care of Gino."

Gino gulped nervously. "Please do what he says. If you don't, I'm sure he will..."

C.C. chuckled knowingly, her smile getting wider and wider the longer she laughed. Gino swallowed again and hid behind the shorter girl.

**~BREAK~**

"_Ow!"_

_Suzaku panicked. Lelouch fell out of the tree when Suzaku had told him he wouldn't if he just tried it out. The branch had broken under the two of them but Suzaku had come out relatively unscathed. His friend, however, had a bad scrape on his knee that was bleeding worse by the minute._

_The raven's eyes watered. "You...You lied! You said I wouldn't get hurt if I just expanded my horizons! Now I'm injured, you terrible friend, you! Why would you lie!"_

_No matter how much of a genius the kid was, he had naivete. He thought just because one of them said something wouldn't happen that it wouldn't. Yet here he was, blaming Suzaku for the mishap._

"_I-I'm so sorry, Lulu! I didn't hear the branch crack before we fell, or I would've caught you! I promise it, really!"_

"_How can I believe you anymore!" he said, crying, "I don't want to talk to you right now! Don't speak to me ever again!"_

_Suzaku jumped. "What? Why? You're my friend!"_

_Sure enough, Lelouch held true to his promise. He didn't talk to Suzaku for the rest of the day, and continued his silence for another month._

**~End Flashback~**

'I wonder if that'll serve as a trigger...?'

"Milly! Where-"

Milly covered his mouth. "I know the story. Don't talk, or he'll hear you. He _really_ doesn't want you around right now."

He nodded seriously. He was sure the situation was dire if Milly wasn't turning to a pile of mush in this situation. Even so, he had to do something. This was most likely similar to the tree incident. He didn't want to lose him ever again, especially not so soon.

"I'm going, Milly. I'm gonna go get him. If you hear a scream, be worried," Suzaku said quietly.

"DAMN IT!"

Milly shuddered, but there was a hint of a smirk. "Should I worry now?"

The brunette took this opportunity as an excuse to go back there. Although he had an ulterior motive, he wanted to see what was wrong.

When he arrived at the raven's destination, he saw him growling at nothing in particular and nursing his hand. It was red and starting to bleed.

"What did you-" Suzaku started, but from the glare that was shot his way, he stopped himself. Obviously the raven didn't want to see him.

Suzaku hurriedly thought of an alternative that would benefit the both of them: a trigger. He figured he could use his most recent reminiscence as a try. "Hey, Lulu..."

"Are you really that stupid?" The other said bitterly. Emerald eyes blinked innocently when violet orbs filled with fire. "You've pissed me off greatly in the past 24 hours. It should be obvious that the mere sight of you turns my stomach in such a way that I just want to vomit. Yet, you _dare_ speak to me." Again, the actor could only blink. Sighing, Lelouch turned away and sat on the bathtub.

"Your stupidity is just...disgusting to me," the raven continued, pinching the bridge of his nose. "And that friend of yours is potentially worse. Who the hell dumps a bucket of cheese on someone? I feel bad for the real Stadtfeld."

'You have no need to,' Suzaku thought disdainfully. "I didn't-"

"Moving on to you. You keep talking about triggers and occasionally have a reminiscent look in your eyes. I'm not willing to give you any chances, or even the time of day really, but to sate you and to keep you away when you're proved wrong, I may as well humor you now."

Suzaku sat at the teen's feet and looked to the linoleum floor. "I'm not wrong...I know I'm not. I've never been one to forget a friend. I could never forget your face either. You're uniquely you, Lelouch, and that's what I-"

"I apparently meant the world to you," Lelouch interrupted, an agitated look present, "You must not have meant much to me if I forgot you. Albeit, 10 years. I'm not the only violet-eyed person out there, and definitely not the only one with raven hair. Surely the combination exists elsewhere?"

Suzaku shook his head with certainty. "Even though you deny that, your name is certainly one of a kind. Well, two of a kind. Lamperouge is only your assumed name so you don't get hounded by eager fans of the Britannian family."

Lelouch grimaced in response. "Are you asking or telling? Like I need to be briefed on the history of my name."

"Fine, fine. I'll skip that. Trigger...Remember the first time you tried ice cream? Where'd you get it?"

"What business is that of yours?" Lelouch spat rudely. Suzaku sighed at the uncooperative teen. His gaze prompted the raven to answer anyway. "My friend. He said ice cream was the best dessert ever known and that I should try it. It's no concern."

"What did he look like?" The actor asked hopefully. Lelouch scratched his head, paused, and scratched again. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

Suzaku stared expectantly, never tearing his gaze from the mysterious teen. The silence between them was suffocating. Despite that, he could tell the elegant teen had to be thinking on the question.

What seemed like an eternity later, the raven sighed. "Suzaku, I...I can't. I don't remember. For the life of me, I just..._can't_."

The actor's hopeful smile faltered. He couldn't blame the guy though. If he couldn't remember Suzaku himself, he definitely wouldn't remember what he looked like as a kid. But...even if that's the case, how could he forget if Suzaku could remember so well. The thought just wouldn't come up in his–

"_I despise pain. All kinds."_

Suzaku blinked, getting a questioning look from the teen above him.

"_What do you mean, Lulu?"_

"_I always hated pain. The more intense the pain, the more I want to forget. I've managed to more or less push _that _incident out of my mind. Now I've almost forgotten the circumstances."_

'What...does this mean?' Suzaku thought to himself. The violet-eyed teen looked as incredulous as he did mildly worried.

"_So what exactly does that mean?"_

"_I mean, you dimwit, if something causes me pain, especially emotional pain, I push it out of my mind little by little. I'd have to be a lot older before I am ever entirely successful."_

"_Your mind is powerful, dude."_

"_That it is. I can never forget you, even if I try to forget any pain you cause me. You'll stay with me forever...won't you?"_

"_I can try."_

"_That's all I can really ask for, isn't it?"_

"Lelouch!"

The raven in question sighed. "Stop doing that. If you had been anyone else, you'd probably have-"

"Shut up for a minute," Suzaku said seriously. Lelouch almost looked offended by the sudden command. Suzaku's hand rushed out and grabbed Lelouch's head. "Do you still do that thing when you try to forget things that cause you pain?"

Lelouch raised an eyebrow at the actor's actions. "Yeah, why? If I've ever really forgotten anything, I really can't remember. Obviously."

"You forgot me!" Suzaku said, grinning widely. Lelouch looked at the teen in surprise. He looked FAR too happy about being forgotten. If anything, that should sadden him or even piss him off.

Then again, he was the guy of the unexpected.

"So what? That doesn't prove much," Lelouch said, a disbelieving look on his face. Suzaku shook his head very confidently. "Not true. In fact, it proves the two out of three main things I care about: That I meant pretty much everything to you and you very possibly know me, but YOU don't know me."

"So how do you plan on getting me to remember?" At this, Suzaku's smile turned upside down. "That's what worries me, and has the whole time. I have to think really hard."

And so he did. And frankly got nothing. "I got nothing." Also, he wasn't afraid to admit that.

"_So what will I do if by some weird chance you _do_ forget me?"_

"_Just introduce yourself the same way you did when we first met. If that doesn't work...I'm at a loss. I guess it's because I don't plan on said events."_

"I got something! I never really properly introduced myself to you, did I, Lulu?" Suzaku asked endearingly. The raven snorted in response. The brunette cleared his throat in response.

"You seem like an interesting guy. I could grow to like you. Oh, my bad," the now light-voiced actor stated and held out his hand, "The name's Suzaku. Suzaku Kururugi. I hope to be the best friend you have!"

The raven was prepared to play along when something sparked in him.

"_Suzaku, I don't say this often, but I hold you near and dear to my heart."_

"_Aww, you big sap, you do care!"_

"_Don't make me take back what I said."_

"I don't believe it..." Lelouch said incredulously. Suzaku stood up with vigor. "You DO remember!"

"You would really introduce yourself to someone like that? I don't understand you," Lelouch said with a grimace.

"_I may regret this later, but pleased to make your acquaintance...I think."_

Suzaku groaned and slinked to the floor. "I thought I had something."

Truthfully, the teen remembered who Suzaku was. However, he wouldn't give the bastard the pleasure of knowing that.

Besides, he wanted to see what he ever saw in this mysterious person in the first place.

"You sure you don't remember?"

It'd prove to be entertaining in the long run anyway.

**~End Chapter~**

**Oh, Lulu. Always the type to continue a game that you'll inevitably win. However, you may see slightly different results.**

**Yeah, I know you guys are dang tired of me not updated HGITWINQ. I decided since it's been so long that I'm going to put the next chapter and the chapter after that together. That'll take longer, but it'll sate you guys. It may turn out half as long as Seeing You (which is f-ing long). Hope you love me, and I'm out!**


	3. A Good Friend A Bad Memory

**Hello, hello. 'Tis Nayunari 'Ayu' Tsuki, finally updating a story. Would you believe that I had most of this already done, but just added about a page?**

**DON'T KILL ME.**

**Anyway, the beginning is very wordy (at least by my standards) and thick, so you'll have a lot to read. I got very deep into it and ended up to be nothing but Lulu's thoughts for a page and a half.**

**If you love me now, you will review. *happy face***

**~BREAK~**

To what would probably be the brunette's chagrin, the raven didn't remember much. He did remember something, which would've been a fantastic start if he had told the brunette this. Which he didn't. For his own sardonic humor, it seemed.

He remembered barely nothing about the brunette's personality. What he could remember did prove that he is the same Suzaku he has been. Apparently he also knew the guy for about 2 years before they were harshly broken up by a move. So, by technicality, they've been friends for 12 years. Lelouch personally never thought friendships could endure so long, at least not from such a defining and prominent distance.

...Not that he's admitting to possibly reviving their friendship. The thought couldn't be further from his mind. By observation only, it may hold strange outcomes, but in depth, it would probably not be his best idea. Surely not. The raven had much more sense than his past friend. As if watching him being presently harassed by Milly for only Lord knows what was any indication. Not that Milly is an avoidable force. Shirley could prove to be just as bad if prompted.

He turned to watch the proceedings and resisted the urge to laugh. Somewhere in between his musings, C.C. and the still unidentified (if he had heard his name, he can't remember, and at the moment doesn't care to, and he just plain hasn't ever seen the other girl) blonde and pink-haired coworkers of his found their way inside, and are either watching with their own brand of humor or actively participating in a task that most likely is trying to turn the actor redder than a rose in full bloom.

It, if nothing else, revealed how shameless the female blond and the lime-haired woman were. Not that he hadn't already inferred that over time. Either way, was the now-actor always this much of a pushover? The thought hadn't sparked in his mind. It's imperative by now that he has a special soft spot for the raven. His random claims of love (which to date Lelouch doesn't recall ever letting him completely relay) prove that.

Was he always so positive? Not yet has he seen the brunette get mad at him. He does know that Suzaku mad is not the most ventured bridge, or at least for him. He's gotten sad, and usually nervous, and even shameless in some of his ventures. Never anger directed toward him. As with before, when he realized that Suzaku as a whole was more or less forgotten, the brunette held no ill will. With the cheeriness he had displayed, it would've been a more...welcomed reaction. He would've reacted negatively, or at the very least hang his head with sadness.

Lelouch truthfully felt bad for forgetting someone that meant so much to him. Yes, he accepts that they probably meant a lot to each other. He couldn't help it. Lelouch was no less than bitchy and uptight as a child to everyone but his closely knit parts of his family. If he found someone he can trust, he becomes dependent on their radiance. The Suzaku he recalls outshone the sun most of the time. And Lelouch bit the hook like an eager fish.

There was almost a brand of melancholy to his childhood. His mother died, his sister lost her ability to walk (she had once lost the ability to see, but about half a year ago her vision restored itself), and his best friend (or so he'd wish to assume) left him against their will for nearly a decade. If he recalled, they met at 7 and parted at 9. It's been...yes, a decade, really. Lelouch's 20th birthday is half a year away, and if he can recall, the actor is turning 19 very soon. He was about a week away from finishing his freshman year of college, and he thought that the brunette's birthday was in the following month.

It was a slightly endearing tale at the same time. Some person he had apparently enjoyed being around despite the obvious hardships he had faced. That same person stuck with him the entire time, until that fateful day. The day that separated them for almost 10 years. Lelouch had grown more and more bitter the longer his sun was extinguished (the most appropriate analogy) until a perpetual darkness, in the form of the proverbial rain cloud, settled over his mind, attitude, and consequently his heart. He was irreparably darkened.

He can remember the most important part: The actual parting. With a good friend came a bad memory. He knows that he felt like dying so much that he laid in the street, waiting for a 4 ton industrial heap of metal to run him over so he wouldn't have to bear the pain of the loss for much longer. A steady suicide. But that car never came. He wasn't big enough to occupy an entire lane in the street, let alone big enough for the tires to remotely grant his wish no matter how he shifted.

That pain was too much to bear. That alone, his best friend's move to Hokkaido, which was a great distance from the Shinjuku district in Tokyo, caused him such great physical, emotional, and, believe it or not, social pain that pushing it out of his mind was all he could do to keep himself from deteriorating from the inside out. Granted, it took a good 6 years to push it completely, but he had managed, with his being intact enough to move on with his life. So move on he did.

Perhaps he did love the brunette...not in the same way it can possibly mean today, but loved him in such a way that the departure shattered him like dropping a boulder on a mirror store would. It was a level above platonic and a level below romantic. Brotherly? Familial? He still can't say. Perhaps if he would reminiscence more on that particular day...

**~Flashback~**

"Absolutely not. As long as we are friends, never will I even think of doing that. Don't get your hopes up."

"Pwease?" Suzaku begged cutely. Lelouch shook his head, his raven locks tickling his face. "No. I will not give you a hug and a kiss. **Especially** not the latter. It'll take a LOT for me to be tempted to do that. I barely want to hug you as it stands."

Suzaku gave the stubborn raven his best puppy-dog look. "But you have to practice! Our 2-year anniversary is coming up next weekend."

The raven darkened with a crimson color, though his stern expression didn't falter. "We. Are not. Married. Since when has an anniversary ever held significance to those not in a relationship? Aside from that, I heard no mention of it this time last year."

"I expected you to remember!" Suzaku whined in his defense.

"Well, how was I supposed to remember! It's pretty insignificant to remember a date like that-"

Suzaku chose now to slap the raven, the latter falling to the ground. "Nothing about friendship is insignificant! It all matters, because like 5, maybe 10 years from now, we could look back on this and ask how we met if one of us didn't remember the details! If you can't remember that now, you must not want me as a friend! Finding it insignificant...really. I thought...that," Suzaku's eyes were watering at this point, and the raven looked at him incredulously.

The streams got longer and longer until they were pouring, and Lelouch was sent into a state of panic. He wasn't trying to make him cry. He just wanted to tell the brunette that he didn't think to store it in his mind, nothing particularly hurtful. Then again, he did have a way with words. In the sarcastic meaning, of course.

He repositioned himself so he was standing up and wiped the sobbing boy's tears. "Stop your blubbering. You'll flood all of Tokyo with the waterworks."

Despite the biting tone, the boy had that trademark 'you're an idiot, but you're MY idiot' smile that he'd give whenever he hurt the boy's feelings. Like always, it won the guy over. He sniffled dramatically. "Aw, Lulu, you care! I love you, Lulu!"

The boy blushed. "H-Hey! Don't carry over the theatrics! I was just filling my obligation!" The other practically ignored everything he said. He looked up cheerfully. "You love me too?"

Lelouch immediately turned red. It meant something totally different to him as it did with Suzaku. But he had no idea who the serious one was. So, to avoid tears, he shifted his gaze to the temporarily-shorter boy. "Y-Yeah, I love you too. Now let me go, Suzaku."

"If you kiss me, I know you mean it," the emerald-eyed boy said expectantly. Lelouch immediately went from crimson red to ghost white. "You know that I'm usually the one to take initiative, Lulu."

Ducking his head into his turtleneck, he tried to delay the inevitable when they heard the clacking of heels. "Suzaku, dear, there you are! I've been searching for you."

The form of Rin Kururugi stopped in front of them, panting for breath. "Genbu...made me run to find you...since he thought he saw you. The car...is back there. It'll be good exercise for you. Whoa! And let go of Lelouch, dear."

"Where are we going, Miss Kururugi?" Lelouch asked. Rin shook her head regretfully. "Lelouch, dear, you have a separate ride to drop you off to your elder siblings' house a little further into Shinjuku. We...we're moving to Hokkaido."

The two boys looked so spooked, you thought they saw death itself directly behind the woman.

Suzaku shook his head. "No, mom! We can't move without Lulu! He's been living with us for a year now, and he's been my friend for longer! You can't break us apart!" to emphasize his point, he clung possessively to the raven.

For once, Lelouch returned the gesture. "Please don't let him leave me...He's the only friend I have! I don't want to know how my life would be without him!"

Rin ruffled the raven's unkempt hair. "Don't worry, Lelouch. You can go live with Nunally and your other siblings again. Won't that help?"

Suzaku tightened his grip. "How long are we going?"

"Until your dad's job relocates again. That could take weeks, months, even years. A decade or two if push comes to shove. Sorry, Suzy, dear...but you two may never see each other again."

"NO!" The two boys rang out.

Rin pulled at Suzaku's collar. "We have to go. Say bye to Lulu, dear." She scooped him up and took him under her arm. He squirmed and squirmed, then finally decided to bite her arm. She screeched and Suzaku took the chance to run back to his friend. They hugged each other tightly. "Lulu, I don't want to go! Don't let me go, never ever."

"I-I don't want to let you go. Please, just stay with me. You're my favorite best friend and I can't lose you," he sobbed, his grip tightening too.

Suzaku soon received a hit to the head, and the distraction gave Rin enough time to restrain her son. "You're going to be in big trouble when Genbu hears. Biting your mother, I mean really."

"LULU!" Suzaku reached out over his mother's shoulder, his tears dampening the sleeves of her dress.

"Suzaku! Please! Promise you'll come back someday soon!" Lelouch yelled after the boy, now accepting the inevitability.

"I promise! Please, don't forget me! I still love you, Lulu!"

The last chain of sentences made the child crumble to the ground and cry. "I...I can't forget you...Even if I want to, you'll...come back and haunt me like the bad memory you're creating."

He couldn't tell time after that. Time just seemed to go still after the car his only best friend was in passed him by. Nothing in the world seemed like it needed to move anymore. The world just...stopped.

And the boy was willing to stop his world his own way.

He trudged ino the street and laid across it, hoping a car would come by and end it for him.

In the end, a car never came, except for the one that was to pick him up to send him to his new home.

"Big brother?" the little ash blonde girl squeaked to Lelouch. His sister. She used to bring him great comfort, and now even she couldn't make him crack a hint of a smile.

He was broken.

**~End Flashback~**

It had his eyes watering at the thought. "I-I won't let you go."

"Never ever?"

Lelouch looked up, startled, some stray tears dropping. Suzaku wiped the remaining ones. "I do still lo-"

"I was quoting a rather emotional book, if you must know," Lelouch covered easily, swatting the hand away from his face, although he secretly appreciated the gesture.

"Were you really?" Suzaku asked, a sly smile on his face. The raven nodded. "What was the title?"

Lelouch grimaced. "You never read. Since you really want to know, it's from a light novel, actually. At the moment, the title is at a loss. It appears I must've had a similar experience. Otherwise I never would've reacted that way."

"Those were some of our last words to each other, you know. Sure that writer's not some kind of stalker?" Suzaku asked jokingly. Lelouch didn't feel very confrontational at the moment, so he settled for a snort in the other direction.

Suzaku sighed dejectedly. "And you don't remember a thing? If you kinda forced yourself to forget it, you can force yourself to remember, right?"

"Nevermore." "Quoth the raven, eh? You are so cliche, really," Suzaku laughed. Lelouch had to spout random quotes he knew from books to make his lie more believable. It's not hard to tell that the actor had caught on if he could accurately complete the sentence. The guy wasn't nearly as slow as he had suspected.

The next thing he heard from the brunette was a sound resembling a squeak. The cause appeared to be the two most shameless women he knew.

"Suzy, we're not done with you~" Milly started. "Your boyfriend may be a pertinent matter, but now he's fixed and-"

"Have we not already clarified my status with Suzaku? We're not even friends," Lelouch said, receiving a dramatic whine from said actor.

Milly's expression turned from mischievous (if possible) to gleeful. "I do it just to piss you off, Lulu~" Truthfully, Milly had no idea how good she was at her goal.

C.C. just looked like she was there to humiliate the poor star. He imagined she did a lot anyway. Then again, he supposed, in the long run, he should be thankful to the mysterious woman. She must be some, if not all, of the reason Suzaku was back in Shinjuku in the first place.

"Ugh, I can't help on this one. Milly's...forceful," Lelouch said, and he was sure he heard a 'thank you' from the blonde, "and you know better than I do how C.C. acts, although I have a distinct inkling."

Suzaku looked up at the knowing looks of the girls, whimpering. He was scared of what was in store, since Milly had gotten over her phase and was constantly suggesting tortures for the poor teen.

"I need something hot," Lelouch said distantly. Milly and C.C. both looked to the raven and blinked stupidly. "And I want it tall, dark, and strong."

Milly and C.C. both practically dropped Suzaku as they caught their nosebleeds. It was unfathomable to Lelouch why anything perverted could cross their minds. Wait...he must've forgotten who he was talking about.

Milly regained her decency (if you can call it that) and wiped her nose with a kerchief. "If this weren't a coffee shop, we would've thought you were talking about our friend on the floor here."

Impossible. Suzaku wasn't tall: He was about 9 or 10 centimeters above him (if his conversion from inches to centimeters was correct; it simply wasn't what he was taught). Suzaku wasn't dark: He was tan at best, say, caramel at first inference. Suzaku was hot, but in the literal sense. Somehow the guy had a perpetual warmth. Whether or not he was strong is the only one he knew nothing about. He was stronger than Lelouch, but admittedly, he wasn't the only one. Lelouch didn't have much stamina, so he didn't work out much. Not that he felt he needed to, his exercise was from knowledge.

Apparently Suzaku was also too slow to see how any of what Lelouch said connected to him. That suited him just fine. "Milly, Shirley, please. One of you, I need a coffee. Desperately. I feel kind of chilled on the inside."

Milly suddenly came up with a plan, and C.C. seemed to be the only one to catch on. "I recall you like cane sugar and not the granulated kind. Tell me, rough or smooth?"

"I like it rough," the raven said absently, and the girls (even the emotionless calculating Anya) had a simultaneous nosebleed. "It never matters in the long run. I'll just need more until I'm satisfied."

Milly and the girls were having a field day in their imaginations. Unfortunately for Lelouch, due to the various emotions his reminiscence caused him, his clouded mind didn't catch onto stuff until long after he said it. Even Suzaku was attempting to keep his mind in the right place.

"Hurry along, Milly. I'm tired, and you know that doesn't take much. Even the slightest workout wears me out. That's why I don't do it as often as I prefer," he stated, his tone even.

'Is he even thinking or is he doing that on purpose?' Suzaku thought briefly, sure he would join the girls in their nosebleeds. He looked to the other male and saw he was trying to guise it as a forming cold.

Milly sat the plastic cup in front of him, the steam seeming to calm the other teen. He sighed, grabbed the rim, and took a quiet sip. However, he could feel Milly's intense stare on him. If he had something to read, he would've easily ignored the rather disturbing gaze. Since that was not the case, even attempting to immerse himself in the coffee had no avail. "What?"

"What are your tastes, Lulu?" Milly asked bluntly but cheerfully. This should be interesting.

It became increasingly obvious that all occupants of the room had their gazes fixated on him. He took another sip of his coffee and lulled his head to the side with a mix of boredom and fatigue. "I've had a long day. And should you know what my coffee tastes are if you know how to make me the right blend without any prior instruction? Seriously, I expected you to have more...tact."

"Not that, silly," Milly said, shaking her head. C.C. cut in. "In people."

Lelouch smiled lazily. He sipped at his coffee and closed his eyes. "In men or women?"

That set everything off.

Shirley spoke up in a high-pitched voice. "You don't have a preference?" The teen bridged his fingers together and rest his chin upon them. "Although I'm very particular in their qualities, I don't care which gender I find it in."

C.C. put her hands on her hips and smirked. "And I thought you were gay. I get proven wrong, and I'm not all that unhappy."

Lelouch twitched with annoyance. "If I didn't want this, you'd be witnessing some second-degree burns right now. What gave you that notion, anyway?"

"I don't know," C.C. said sarcastically. "Maybe it was the fact that our first meeting saw you in a dress or that you're going out with my star employee who also happens to be gay. Just a wild guess."

"Finally, I know!" Milly cheered. "Lulu here clicked the TV off at that part of the interview when we were watching it the day we first encountered Suzaku, and now I feel better. I never had a chance to begin with though, so it shouldn't matter."

"So you DID watch the interview," Suzaku said in realization. "Now I understand why Milly questioned my colors. To answer that, though, I do that so when I go out in public, I can just be my natural self."

"And to respond to YOU, C.C., I was forced by Milly to go on that date and to get in the dress, because she wouldn't let me back in when I tried to escape it." Lelouch said in exasperation.

"You know without your little run-in with blondie that you enjoyed it," Milly said pointedly.

"What was there to enjoy? Nothing happened," Lelouch said, glaring. Milly wagged her finger. "You could always go on another."

Avoiding a response, Lelouch drank his coffee. C.C. went to his side. "You know, unless you've had a girlfriend, I can't believe you're bi." He glanced over to her. "Who says I hadn't."

This piqued the interests of Suzaku, C.C., and Gino. Milly had a knowing smirk on her face, and Shirley seemed to not be out of the loop for once. Anya was typing away at her virtual diary. C.C. continued on her trek. "Who was she? Surely we need to know."

The long drink Lelouch took from his coffee put those not knowing on edge. The fact that he drank until the end of the cup nearly upset the three, C.C. in particular. He took a breath and glared. "It's not as if you know her." C.C.'s skepticism rose.

Now awake, the raven actually felt like doing something. He rose from his seat and went towards the cappuccino machine, grabbing a cup. Before anyone could voice their feelings, he spoke. "Kouzuki."

The three showed unrealistic surprise at that one word. "No...no way. You don't mean Stadtfeld?" Gino spoke finally.

"I don't recall her having any other name than Kouzuki. We told each other everything, and while my alias came up, not one of hers was hinted at. Most likely because she didn't have one," Lelouch said, mixing his beverage.

"Kallen Kouzuki, also know as Kallen Stadtfeld," Anya said, clicking away at her diary. "They are one in the same."

Lelouch nearly dropped his cup of cappuccino. Milly chuckled in response. "Wow, Lulu. You have all these connections with famous people. Now I wanna meet her. You should say she's not coming so she does!"

"Just because he said that and Suzaku appeared," Shirley started bitterly, "doesn't mean it'll happen twice."

Gino blinked in confusion. "That's what happened? That sounds cool! Try it, Lulu."

"Don't call me that," the raven retorted, sipping the cappuccino. "Fine, then. Kallen is not going to come through that door. Sorry to disappoint."

...And the door burst open.

"Kururugi! C.C.! Blondie! What in the hell are you three doing in a damn coffee shop!" A redheaded woman yelled rather loudly.

"Dude, you are powerful," Gino said incredulously.

"Kallen~" Milly said cheerfully. The actress looked over and her eyes widened. Without saying anything, she ran and hugged the other girl.

C.C. smirked. "It's remarkable how you said she wouldn't appear and she did...Lelouch."

The redhead visibly bristled at the name. She turned around slowly. "Lelouch..." Lelouch waved in reply. "Hello, my dear ex."

Kallen practically zoomed over to him and hugged her with all her strength. Which hurt the raven severely. "Lelouch I didn't think I'd see you again so very soon! I thought the end of senior year would be the last time in a while! How have you been?"

As she rambled on, Milly looked over to C.C. and Suzaku, seeing that the former was smirking and the latter was glaring at the redhead. She smiled knowingly. "This doesn't bode well, does it, Suzy?"

The actor shook his head. "Not really. I **knew** I didn't click with her for some reason. I just knew."

C.C. smirked even wider, and the amusement shone in her eyes. "Because you'll have to compete."

The two watched the redhead ramble on to the raven and the raven smiling and nodding, an occasional laugh coming out. The brunet nodded with disdain.

**~End Chapter~**

**Sorry, guys, I had to make Kallen either a spaz or a nervous wreck around Lulu and guess which one made it.**

**I slightly ship LuluKallen, so since I wanted to find a way to get Kallen in the story (appear), I had to make it happen.**

**That said, I am such a pervert. That 'sugar' part was for my enjoyment and mine alone. Get a kick out of it, and I will be honored you like it and have the same perverted humor I do.**

**Anyway, at least the whole 'Kallen's a spaz over seeing Lulu again' thing coincides with the fact that Kallen and Suzaku are rivals. Or at least, that's how it looked to me.**

**What else...I'm sorry if it's not long enough to make up for...Almost 3 months without an update. Don't kill me.**

**All righty, Nayunari 'Ayu' Tsuki out!**


End file.
